City updates load-shedding map and schedule
05 October 2020
The City of Cape Town advises Gordon’s Bay customers specifically of a change in the load-shedding map and schedule that has come into effect from 1 October 2020. The City also encourages all customers to have a look at the latest tips for load-shedding and how to read the maps and schedules.
In Cape Town, the City and Eskom supply various areas in the metro, so there are City-supplied and Eskom-supplied areas. When load-shedding started to become a reality more than a decade ago, the City looked at a way to make load-shedding occurrences more fair than what the case was with Eskom’s load-shedding schedules. For instance, so that one area would not have load-shedding every night at 18:00 or 20:00, the peak energy usage time of the day.
The map and schedule is updated every now and then. We have just updated the map. There are small changes in general but the most significant are for Gordon’s Bay customers.
Gordon’s Bay, Area 19 on the previous schedule, has become part of Area 3 and will henceforth be switched according to Area 3 on the City’s schedule. Parts of that area is City-supplied, but due to the network configuration, customers were being switched according to Eskom’s schedule. Areas 18 and 20 will no longer be shown on the City schedule as these areas are Eskom-supplied.
‘We thank our customers for their patience as we worked to bring about these changes. Eskom’s load-shedding remains a reality for South Africa and we will continue to protect our customers as far as possible while looking at improvements to make things a little bit better for our customers,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Phindile Maxiti.
How to check your schedule
Find your area and corresponding number on the map (use the all areas map or the individual maps to verify this)
Refer to the schedule for the load-shedding stage announced; dates indicated along the top (left to right), with the corresponding affected areas for that day and time slots (from top to bottom)
Areas 1-16 follow the City of Cape Town load-shedding schedule
Areas 17-23, which include Macassar, Philippi, Nyanga, Mfuleni and Nomzamo, find your area on the Eskom load-shedding website and schedules
The City can sometimes protect its customers from load-shedding by drawing on extra power from its Steenbras Hydro Pump Station. How it works:
Electricity generated during relatively low-cost off-peak periods is used to pump water from a lower to an upper storage reservoir. During periods of peak demand, the water is released back to the lower reservoir, thereby generating electricity like a conventional hydroelectric power station.
Hydroelectricity is produced using the gravitational force of falling or flowing water to power an electricity generator.
The Western Cape does not have a big enough body of water to produce the amount of electricity we’d need to meet all of our power needs in Cape Town and surrounds. We do have small hydro generators on schemes like the Steenbras scheme. This is why the City can sometimes avoid load-shedding, or remain on a lesser stage than Eskom has requested.
Steenbras scheme facts:
Adopt smarter energy use habits in the home:
Turn the geyser down to 60°C.
Switch off electrical appliances at the wall sockets when not in use to reduce energy.
Use less hot water.
Shower instead of bathing. You will save up to 80% in water and use five times less electricity than heating bath water if you take a short shower.
Dry your laundry using sunshine where possible and try not to use the tumble dryer. For rainy days, use drying racks indoors.
Replace regular bulbs with energy-saving ones such as LEDs that use six times less electricity.
Seal gaps around windows and doors to keep heat from escaping and cold drafts from breezing in.
Use a stove plate that’s most similar to the size of your pot. An electric stove uses up to 40% of its heat when the pot is too small, which means you waste electricity. If you own an insulation cooker, bring your food to a boil then place it in there. The retained heat slow-cooks, saving up to 60% on energy.
Load-shedding map update, please view the map.
For more information on how to reduce usage, please visit www.savingelectricity.org.za
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
